Almost (Too Close For Comfort)
by rosa.pine
Summary: Natalia Romanov was once Natasha Potter. The Girl Who Lived became the Black Widow. Correction: Almost became the Black Widow. Just like how her brother Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, almost became the Chosen One. Almost is a very strong word.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

With a few days left before Sirius' birthday, his friends gathered around to finish making their plans without him in the loop. They took turns asking each other what they each bought him, brought the conversation about to James' and Lily's children and what they would be dressed up as for Hallowe'en. Each suggestion for the costumes grew sillier and sillier every time the men uttered an idea. The conversation fizzled out into soft laughs and heavy breathing as the night winded down, happy with the night's success and with the prospect of survival in the war. Nobody suspected the occurrence that would take place right where they were sitting in a few mere hours.

"Listen, lads, I'm glad you all came over, but it's nearly dawn at this point-"

"You're, _ungh_, dawn," Peter slurred out before erupting into a fit of giggles with Remus. Rolling his eyes at his friends' actions, James gave each of them a hearty pat on the shoulder. Both of them lurched away as if anticipating their predictable friend, only to fall into another round of giggles. "If I'm dawn, then you two are drunk," James declared, before nudging them towards the front door. Peter tripped again, and James frowned at his friend.

"Are you two gonna be okay apparating home? It's no bother-"

Remus quickly interrupted him, stating "We'll be fine, Prongs, we a-always are. You just worry about, uh, about yourself, mate."

"And your family!" Peter chimed in with a drunken smile, before pitching himself down the steps. Watching him, James and Remus shared a quiet look as they thought about the current predicament the group was in. James and Lily, along with their children Natasha and Harry had ended up going on the run. Their cottage was placed under the Fidelius charm -an advanced spell that leaves the dwelling unreachable for those without the Secret-Keepers permission - in an attempt to hold off Voldemort, and just before the drinks began flowing that evening they switched around their Secret-Keeper in a last ditch effort to keep everyone off their trail. Truly, they only meant to share a drink or two in celebration of the Potter's security, but as one drink flowed into another, they all quickly became intoxicated with the effects of firewhiskey.

Remus broke the moment by coughing, clearing his throat before quietly muttering "Listen mate, I think you'll be alright, right? Nothing to worry about," turning and watching Peter trip over the pumpkins on the front walkway, Remus finished. "Nothing to worry about at all."

"I'm not worried," James spoke. "Not for us anyway."

The silence of the night came back through their conversation for a few moments before James carried on his explanation. "We're probably in the most secure house in the entirety of Godric's Hollow, and you guys are just out there by yourselves. Sirius doesn't even have a home anymore, and you- well, you don't exactly have a home either."

"Neither does Peter, but we'll be fine, Prongs, we always are." Remus fastened his jacket before walking down to Peter, making sure no one was watching before the two intoxicated men crept out of the charms zone before disapparating into the night. James watched the empty street before sighing, his breath disappearing into white puffs of air.

"I hope so, Moony."

And with that, James turned around and walked back into his home, the hope of survival at the front of his mind.

"Avada Kedavra!" Lily heard the Unforgivable used downstairs, as she rushed into Harry's room with Natasha in her arms. Quickly placing her into Harry's crib, Lily turned around and faced the room with several curses and charms leaping to mind, trying to ignore the thought of her dead husband lying downstairs having paid the price for trying to protect his family. _Locking charm, sticking charm, protego maxima, which runes were protection again, the curse barrier, the block barrier charm, _Lily quickly cast each charm and spell she could think of layering on jinxes and curses as well. _You could use the sacrificial protection charm. _Hesitating at the thought, Lily knew the consequences of the charm. Her children would be guaranteed survival but at the cost of her life. A cost she was willing to pay. Placing as many barriers as she could think of, Lily pushed through the pain. _At least you'd see James again soon_, her mind breathed, depressing thoughts quickly following the last as they raced through her mind. _Oh lord, the boys, Sirius, Remus, Peter, what are they going to do, will they be okay, are they okay now? Oh Godric, what if they died, what if Voldemort sent Death Eaters after them and they're all dead too. _Tears flowed down Lily's face, and she began sobbing as she heard the Dark Lord making his way up the stairs and tearing through the traps James set up last week. _James…_

Casting one last shield barrier around the crib, her children gave her curious looks as Lily picked them up one last time.

"Oh Harry, Natasha, everything's going to be okay," Lily started crying harder, and she put Natasha down for the last time.

"Mommy, what's wrong," Natasha stared up at her mother with her big green eyes, and Lily held back a sob.

"Oh sweetheart, everything's going to be okay, mommy and daddy are leaving for a bit, that's all, and then you'll see us again later, okay sweetheart? Oh Natasha, sweetheart," Lily sniffled, "I'm so sorry this happened."

Lily let out a cry as Voldemort began tearing through the room's enchantments as fast as he could, desperate to kill the children in the room. "Everything's gonna be okay, I promise Natasha, it'll be fine-"

The bedroom door exploded open, and Lily screamed out, clutching Harry tightly before dropping him into his older sister's arms.

"Watch him, Natasha, you hear me?!" Lily cried out before twirling around to face the wizard.

"Step aside, mudblood," Voldemort threatened. Lily's tears began flowing down her face faster as she gasped, "No, no, not my children, kill me instead, please!"

Voldemort snarled at Lily's defiance, raising his wand towards her. "Move, and you will be spared," he snapped at her. "Now!"

Shaking her head no, Lily stood her ground and looked Voldemort in the eyes. "No."

Furious, Voldemort screamed out the Killing Curse - "_Avada Kedavra!"_ \- and watched as the burst of striking green left his wand, striking his target and efficiently killing Lily Potter. Inhaling deeply, he moved his eyes from the unmoving corpse to the two children settled in the crib. Young Harry, just a few months over a year old, clinging to his older sister through the blankets, dark hair puffing out of the top. He was curled inwards, towards his sister's arms, and Voldemort watched as Natasha pulled Harry closer. Slinking across the floor, clutching the wound James had given him, Voldemort crept up to the crib, crouching down and staring at them through the bars.

"Well, hello there."

Natasha blinked at him.

Voldemort bared his teeth at the child- no, nothing. No reaction at all.

"I'm sorry for killing your mother." Falsely apologizing, he watched as the girl analyzed him.

"No you're not," Natasha countered. Snarling, he agreed.

"You're right, I'm not. I'm also not sorry for this either," He spoke before swiftly standing up and brandishing his arm towards the siblings.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The thud that echoed around the room wasn't a result of the children hitting the crib bars; no, no it was the sound of the Dark Lords rapidly cooling body hitting the floor, leaving the children crying in pain as newly formed cuts erupted on their foreheads. Harry's, a lightning bolt, centered in the middle of his forehead. Natasha's, blending into her hairline surrounding her upper right temple, seemingly matching the one of her brothers. Both scars acting as a permanent reminder of this fateful night.

Orphaned at a young age, scarred for life, the remaining Potters held each other and cried in the crib.

Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore could not fathom the destruction that came across the cottage. Warned by the wards surrounding Godric's Hollow, he came as fast as he could. Arming himself with his wit and his wand, Dumbledore steadily crept into the dwelling, secretly hoping to himself that the Potters managed to make it out safely, even though the wreckage proclaimed otherwise. Creeping through the living room, he found himself next to James' body in the kitchen, wand thrown across the room in two pieces. Dumbledore waited a moment to gather himself, tears growing in his eyes, but he pushed through and ventured up the stairs. At the top, he could see the nursery room door had been blown open, possibly due to the excessive force Voldemort had used, but he could also see something else - red hair on the ground. Moving closer, Dumbledore could see that it was Lily lying on the ground, and after entering the room it was proven that she had died willingly, trying to save her children. Hearing them cry gave the Headmaster some brief hope, but it wasn't until he raised his eyes from Lily's body to see the room that he fully understand the incident. Lily had died near the crib, in between the door and the crib, and Voldemort lay dead right next to her, eyes unfocused and nose clearly broken. Quickly, Dumbledore set to work. Calling his friend in the Auror department and secret group called the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore made sure that the scene was left untouched. Grabbing Natasha and Harry was a slight struggle, as they refused to let go of each other, and he quickly gave up and levitated them downstairs to the front foyer. A quick spell later and he conjured some blankets for the two to be wrapped in. _Oh Godric_, Dumbledore thought as he watched the still crying children. _Lily and James…_

Pops could be heard around the neighborhood, and soon members from the Order arrived to help assist. It was clear that they were all expecting a battle, but everyone stopped and watched cautiously as Dumbledore walked out of the cottage with the two children.

"James, and Lily," He called out, stopping to clear his throat before announcing, "are dead."

Alastor Moody's eye went crazy as he checked the house for any threats, and coming up empty he holstered his wand. "It's true," He spat. "They're dead. So's Voldemort."

Gasps ricocheted around the group, and quickly after hearing the news, a few members disapparated into the night. The rest that remained cast a lumos and began the slow walk into the cottage yard. Minerva McGonagall approached Dumbledore first and asked quietly "Is it true?"

Albus lowered his eyes from her worn face and brought the children closer, clutching them in his arms.

"Albus," she demanded, "Is it true?" Her voice shook, and tears began to well up in her eyes. Dumbledore couldn't bear to confirm the deaths, not while thinking about James and Lily's time in Hogwarts, so he chose to wipe the blood from Harry's face.

After a moment, he spoke, "Yes Minerva. They're gone." Adjusting the children, he glanced at Minerva and offered her Natasha. She scourgified the blood from Natasha's skin and silently conjured up a bandage to cover her wound.

"What about them, Albus? What happened?"

He sighed before giving her a short response. "I don't know, the wards in my office went crazy and I came here as fast as I could. The door was blasted in, so I went inside to check-"

A loud crash was heard from inside the house, followed by a string of curses. "It was just me," Alastor shouted. "Don' worry!"

Albus shook his head before continuing. "I checked the rooms, and I went upstairs to the nursery. The door was blasted apart too, and I saw Lily before seeing Voldemort and the kids. I'm not sure how, but the children killed him, Minerva. Lily was dead before he was, I'm sure of it."

Slowly bouncing Natasha on her hip, Minerva began shaking her head."That's not possible. There is no possible reason that the kids could survive him, or- or _kill _him, Albus."

"There is a way," He prodded. "You and I both know the only way they survived. Lily…" Shifting Harry, Dumbledore moved down the steps of the doorway and cleared out of the way for other Order members to enter. "Lily was aware of the sacrificial protection spell." Looking into Harry's eyes, Dumbledore grew sad as he recognized the eyes of his favorite pupil.

"Here," Dumbledore began, passing Harry to Minerva as well, lifting his hand to quiet her protests. "Take them somewhere safe, I will be in touch soon."

Solemnly, Minerva walked down the pathway with the two children in her arms, setting off into the eery street. Albus trusted Minerva, and he knew that she would protect them with her life if need be. _Hopefully, they won't need it_, he thought. _Not after Lily's sacrifice..._

Turning around, Albus set foot into the cottage and immediately ran into Alastor. Alastor grumbled for a moment, quickly speaking "Voldy here is going to be brought to the Department of Mystery. No if's or but's about it, we need to figure out how this blasted man has survived so long." He shook a miniature box in his idea before stuffing it into his pocket.

"You transfigured Lord Voldemort into a matchbox?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, his half-moon glasses shifting ever so slightly.

"'Course not," Alastor let out a gruff cough. "I redicio'd the body and conjured a box for it."

Humming, he nodded in approval and shook Alastor's hand in thanks. Alastor cleared his throat before excusing himself. "Just because the Dark Lord is gone, doesn't mean his Death Eaters are." And with that, he left the house with Voldemort in tow.

Dumbledore sighed as he watched a stretcher be taken outside with James' body on it, and squeezed the bridge of his nose before setting to work. _This is going to be a long night… _

Carefully placing Harry next to Natasha in the enchanted basket, Dumbledore stood up and took out a letter from his robes. Number 4 Privet Drive was the home of Harry and Natasha's extended family, where they would be safe. The blood wards he had just placed would keep both of them safe until they came of age, and called this place home. Minerva placed the box of items next to the basket and let out a weary sigh.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Minerva's lips flattened into a small line, clearly upset at the arrangement. It took every fiber in her body not to whisk the children away and take them to safety, bring them to her own extended family where she knew they would be safe. "I've watched the Dursley's all day, and they don't seem like the best kind of people."

Dumbledore turned towards her, still playing with the letter, and looked at her over the rims of his glasses. "They will be just fine, Minerva, and besides, the main point is that they're safe where they are." He bent down and placed the letter in Harry's hand, smiling when Harry's grasp tightened and crinkled the envelope.

"Very well, Albus," she sighed and walked down the steps, jumping off the last stair and transforming into a cat. The grey animal paced to the end of the garden and jumped onto the garden wall, turning around and keeping watch of the children.

Dumbledore watched as she did, and followed down the walkway. "Have a good night, Minerva," He called to her. There was no response as the cat laid down and rested her head on her front paws, still visibly upset with the events, and Dumbledore sighed as he walked away.

_It's for the greater good… _he thought, _Minerva will see that eventually_. And with that on his mind, he gave a slight twist of his body and disapparated into the night with a small _pop._

Minerva was gone by the time the Dursley's came outside. Vernon Dursley, a whale of a man whose steps seemed to thunder, was the one to discover the Potter children on his front step as he reached for the paper. He stared at them, shocked, for a moment, before he started glowing red with anger with the thought of those freaks sitting on his deck; he could remember all too well what had happened at the wedding, and he refused to associate with the Potters. Roughly grabbing the basket, he staggered back into the house, slamming the door before bellowing out for his wife.

"Petuni-a-a-a!"

Quick steps were heard in the coat room as Petunia dashed downstairs, clearly not suspecting the possible situation.

"Vernon? What is it?" She called down as she ran, her legs stumbling for a moment as she lost her balance.

"That freakish sister of yours dumped her freakish kids on our doorstep!"

Petunia ran into the hall, tying her bathrobe closed as her manic eyes scanned the area. Her murky green eyes froze on the basket, and she whispered a mumbled "No.." as she bent down to pick up the letter before Vernon could, jerking the letter to the side as Vernon made a grab for it. Bony fingers opened the envelope as deftly as possible, and she tossed the wrapping to the side as she greedily read the letter. Once, twice, thrice now she quickly read the note left to her but Petunia still could not believe the contents. Somewhere upstairs, Dudley Dursley, their firstborn child, older than Harry by a few months, gave out a distressed cry. Petunia shooed Vernon off to their child as she read the letter once more.

_**To Petunia Dursley**_

_**I am sorry to leave the children at your doorstep with no warning whatsoever, but drastic times call drastic measures. Last night, October 30th to clarify, a dark wizard by the name Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort if you prefer his alias, attempted to stop a prophecy that controls the future of the wizarding world. If Tom had won the war, the world would have been under his control, and darkness would ensue till the ends of time. Fortunately, he met his demise at the hands of your niece and nephew. Tom Riddle is dead, but in the events leading to his death, he killed your sister's husband and your sister. Lily and James are dead, Petunia. And it is of utmost importance that the children grow up with you. They need to grow up in a normal home, with no knowledge of the wizarding world. There will come a time where they will one day become a part of it again, but that mustn't happen anytime soon. There will be a monthly allowance sent to you to assist with the expansion to your family, but the money must be spent for the children. They will need clothes, food, parents, Petunia. Please take care of what's left of Lily. I'm sorry for your loss.**_

_**Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore.**_

_**P.S. Lily would have been ecstatic to hear about your child.**_

Petunia felt a hot tear roll down her cheek, and she muffled her sob with her hand. Wrinkling the letter with her other hand, she sat down on the ground and let out a few loud cries. _Lily is dead_, she realized, a_nd she left her children here. _Repeating the mantra a couple of times left Petunia upset. _She left her children here. _Her sadness gave way to anger as she realized the full extent of the letter. _She left her children here. _Petunia could not handle being second best to one freakish sibling, she couldn't let Dudley feel like that just because _she left her children here. _She refused to keep both freaks here. _She left her children here. _They would bear the consequences of their mother's actions. _She left them here. _With fury on her mind, Petunia called down Vernon and began planning on how to get rid of at least one of the children. She would not tolerate freaks in her home. And she knew how to get rid of Natasha.


	2. Chapter 2

Natasha did not recognize where she was. All she knew was that the dress they gave her was itchy and that the handcuff around her wrist left a red ring encircling her skin. She gave another helpless tug at the cuff before sighing. Connected to the bed, the handcuff left her not able to roll over, so instead she stared at the ceiling, questions floating through her mind. _Where did Uncle Vernon go? Where is Harry? Is he okay? What happened to mommy and daddy? What about me? What's going to happen to me? Mommy and daddy always said to never go up to strangers, but Uncle Vernon left me with one. Does he have different rules than mommy and daddy? Are mommy and daddy picking me up soon?_

A soft click came from her handcuff, and it rolled off her wrist, clinking against the metal of the bed frame, and the coolness of the cuff gave way to a firm and warm grasp. Somebody was holding her wrist. Natasha gave a quick tug against the hold, but the person quickly hoisted her up to her feet by her wrist.

"Listen to me, Natalia," said a low voice in a husky whisper. A man, Natasha thought before she gave another tug at her wrist. The man tightened his grasp and she whimpered.

"It's Natasha," she whispered back.

The grasp tightened even more on her wrist and she heard the man hiss in her ear.

"Not anymore. Natasha Potter is dead, you hear me? You are now Natalia Romanov." Shaking her wrist sporadically, he continued. "Understand?"

Natasha nodded quickly, and the man hissed at her again.

"What's your name?"

"Natalia Romanoff," She whispered again. He shook her. "Romano_V_. V sound. Romanov."

She nodded desperately as her little wrists began to cry. "I am Natalia Romanov!" The name felt foreign to her tongue, as though she had told a lie not even she believed.

The man's hand loosened on her wrist, and he gave an approving hum. "Good. Now come, Natalia, we must go. You need to learn the rules."

He tugged her away from her metal bed, and she followed the unknown man. As they walked through the exit, Natalia gave a quick look back to her bed, and gaped as she noticed the rows of beds. The room was big, filled with at least a hundred other identical metal beds, each bed occupied by a sleeping girl. Each girl had her hand cuffed to her bed as well. Natalia turned the corner and turned back to the man. She didn't want to know what was going on.

"What's your name?" She daringly whispered to the man.

"It's not important." the man paused. "What's yours?"

Natalia quickly answered "Natalia Romanov, and it is. Everyone has a name."

The man huffed and tugged her further down the hallway.

"Well, it's not important." They turned down a different hallway and headed towards the stairs.

"Yes, it is." Natalia stubbornly jutted out her chin. "Mommy said everyone has a name."

The man tightened her wrist and hauled her into the corner. "Your mommy is dead, you hear me? She's dead. So is your daddy. And your filthy uncle sold you to us. So shut up. And follow me." He quickened his pace up the stairs, leaving Natalia to bang her shins against the steps as she missed them.

Natalia whimpered at the rude man's words, and desperately tried to keep up with the man. They eventually stopped before a door, and they stared at it.

"Ivan," The man muttered. He cleared his throat before knocking on the door twice and taking a step back.

"My name is Ivan," He looked down at her before gently pushing her forward with a grimace. "Good luck, little one."

Natasha nudged open the steel door, and knew once she walked across the bloodstained concrete that things were going to be different.

"Sebastian, I don't understand why I can't just fight them with my magic. They're going to die anyway." A now eight-year-old Natalia complained, her leg delicately bouncing up and down from her seat. The wizard behind her smacked the back of her head, watching Natalia to make sure she gave no reaction.

"You know why you must do things the muggle way, Natalia. Besides, just because you have an advantage over everybody here does not mean that you can slack off."

Natalia gave a huff. "Does the muggle way mean you must torture me with these inhumane hair products?" She was referring to the hair curler a young assist was winding in her hair as Sebastian watched over. Natalia didn't completely comprehend why the trainers in the Red Room set a complete dress code for the girls to follow, going as far as to dictate what nail polish colours were acceptable, but she dare not ask. Helen had once asked the head trainer in a gallant attempt at proving her worth, but she never got an answer and was taken from the class. Later that night curfew came and her bed was still empty. To this day Natalia assumed she was dead. (None of the girls ever mentioned the name of their fellow ballerina.)

"You also know the answer to that one, Natalia."

Biting her tongue, she held back her snappy response. The assistant harshly tugged at her hair again and Natalia closed her eyes. Today was going to be a long day, she decided. Ballet instruction first with Madame, magic practice with Sebastian, and more training after lunch. Dinner held another etiquette and language class for the girls before it was decided who would last another week and who would also disappear. _Wherever Helen was, she wasn't alone._ Natalia carefully left her face impassive so as to show no emotion in front of Sebastian.

"What is the purpose of the oppugno jinx?" Sebastian moved in front of her, and Natalia instantly stilled her leg. She recognized his attempt to steer the conversation away to a much more appropriate conversation for the Red Room.

"The oppugno jinx, also known as the animated attack by a few scholars, is a curse that allows the curser to animate several objects such as conjured animals or other transfigurations in order to attack the target with those objects." Natalia answered the easy question with ease, looking down at the assistant in the mirror. Natalia was quite knowledgeable with the jinx. Sebastian taught it to her after he caught wind of the unethical decisions a few night guards made. The first chance Natalia got, she used it against the guards, and they refused to be alone in a room with her now. _Good,_ she had thought smugly upon hearing the news. _People are learning who I am._

The assistant fumbled when she was stared down and accidentally burned herself with the rod. "I'm done," She squeaked, before shoving her tools back in her bag. It was noticeable how uncomfortable she was, but comfort wasn't a luxury in the KGB.

Clasping a hand on her shoulder, Sebastian spoke. "Good, now come. Let's go and get the day started, yes?"

Grabbing her pointe shoes, Natalia nodded. "Of course, Sebastian."

Being raised as a muggle assassin was very confusing for a witch to grow up as. Not quite fitting in the magical or mundane world, she was stuck in the Red Room, but even there she was an outcast. The other girls built a quiet alliance amongst each other, all of them holding a collective pact against Natalia. Of course, they tried to keep it quiet but Sebastian had needed volunteers for her legilimency lessons. No one was eager to volunteer, but no one wished for punishment if they didn't follow through. Natalia found she didn't care though; the girls were scared, and if making a goal to one day beat the unbeatable witch made them feel strong, Natalia didn't mind. It wasn't as though they could actually beat her anyways, not according to the Madame's instructions. Every two weeks, the girls were pitted against each other in a last man standing tournament. The only rule was no immediate killing, but that only applied to Natalia in order to give a fair chance to the others and prove she had learned the muggle ways of fighting. And killing. But she wasn't a big fan of getting her hands dirty; she often said that killing someone left an unpleasant residue on her hands that didn't come off for days. As a KGB operative, you had no choice in your actions, no idea when or how the next person to be killed would be dead by your own hands. The only comfort was when they left you for the night, handcuffed to your bed with bruised ribs and broken sighs.

It was ironic, almost, that a famous magical hero would one day become an infamous no-maj assassin, even more so when her soulmate was found. Far and few between, soulmates had become a myth in the muggle world, the rare bonding becoming borderline extinct. It was slightly more common in the magical world, but not enough for everyone to know everything about it. Sebastian was one of the few who knew about soul bonds and what it entails, as growing up in the wizarding school Durmstrang gave him access to all types of topics. Soulbonds was one of the many things he covered in his few years of boarding, which gave him plenty of preparation when his trainee and ward discovered her bond mate. How fortunate he informed her of this little tale.

How ironic a muggle assassin was the destined soulmate to a magical assassin as well.

It was while Sebastian and Natalia were walking to the ballet hall that the Winter Soldier intercepted their path. Alarms blared the moment he came into view, and red lights replaced the hallway lighting. A strong jaw was shown through shaggy hair, accentuated by his gasping. His leather strapped chest was heaving up and down and revealed his metal arm. The plates whirred as he tightened his fight, resulting in the red lights reflecting off his red star. His eyes were manic and wild, and although Natalia kept herself poised against the wall, his attention was immediately brought to her. She was still a child at that point, only ten years of age, but he wouldn't stop staring at her. Natalia was confused by the ferocity he stared her down with, but something clicked and she felt like she melted.

"Sebastian?" Natalia murmured. "Remember that story you told me, the one about true love, a perfect bonding, and a happily ever after?"

Sebastian looked between the two trained killers, trying to keep an eye on the Winter Soldier while examining Natalia. The assassin made no effort in moving towards them. Looking directly into Natalia's eyes, he saw exactly what he was hoping against. The tiny gleam of a new bond.

"_Blyad_," Sebastian swore. "You haven't even bled yet." Then he spun towards the soldier and stupefied him.

Natalia frowned and moved towards his body. "Why'd you have to do that?"

He groaned and quickly stupefied her as well. "For the same reason, I had to do this."

Pulling out his walkie talkie, Sebastian called in the scenario. Back up swarmed the hallway, and the two figures were brought down to a connected cell. Just as he was finished levitating them onto their respective cots, the Madame snuck up behind him. In Russian, she quickly inquired into what happened.

"What the hell do you mean soul bond?"

Trying and failing not to groan, Sebastian answered. "It means we're screwed if we're not careful."

"Jamie! Guess what?!" An ecstatic, eleven-year-old Natalia bounced into the room. It was a small space, big enough for a plain double bed, dresser, and nightstand. A bathroom was connected to the room, and there was a camera in the corner above the door. James modified it during the first week to take out the audio so they could have some semblance of privacy, but it was at times like this where he began to regret it.

Shaggy, black hair was sprawled across the pillow, with a lumpy form curled under the sheets. A metal hand pulled the blanket further over his head while he groaned.

"Natalia, I am sleeping." Unlike Natalia, the Winter Soldier - or Jamie as she called him - had the decency to call her by her proper name.

"So? You've been under cryo for a month now," she retorted. The scientists from Hydra discovered with the serum in his body, he could delay aging as long as he alternated time in and out of cryo. The bond made it difficult at times, especially when the freeze first settled in after they bonded, but they quickly adapted. "And! You still haven't guessed yet!" She jumped onto the bed and ripped the sheets from Jamie. Groaning, he rolled over and squinted up at her. She widened her eyes and moved her head closer ever so slightly, clearly giving a silent comment to him. _Guess._

"Unnngh, let me guess. You somehow finished training early and now you can come on missions with me?"

Her grin grew, and she shook his arm. "Close! I'm almost done training, but I actually got my wand now!" She brandished the beautiful wand, and cast a silent lumos, allowing a gentle light to show through the top of her wand. It was a gorgeous wand; twelve inches even of pale aspenwood, with a dragon heartstring for the core. Based on wandlore alone, this wand would have been Natalia's already, and holding the wand in her hand gave her an even fiercer round of determination to prove her worth. Especially as the Black Widow.

"Okay," Jamie cleared his throat. "That sounds cool."

Natalia rolled her eyes and fell onto the bed next to him, twirling her wand through her fingers. "Think of your M4A1 Carbine, right? Your gun is my wand." She explained. A silent avis a few birds flying around the room, giving small chirps as they lapped the space small. James sat up and carefully watched the small creatures. "Only better."

Humming, he rubbed his chin. "I don't know though, it's not like birds are any help in a fight, are they?" He asked rhetorically. Natalia tossed her hair over her shoulder and directed her wand towards him. She narrowed her eyes, and carefully thought _oppugno. _Rolling off the bed, she watched in delight as the birds swarmed her soulmate.

James cursed as the conjured birds nosedived at him, and he quickly rushed from the bed, tripping over the sheets in his haste to get to the bathroom.

"Really, Natalia?"

She giggled and ended the charm. "Of course, Jamie!"

The alarm on the bedside table went off, and she frowned. "We're going to have to finish this later, Jamie."

He ducked his head out of the bathroom, trying to keep the door closed as the shower started. "There's more to talk about?"

Nodding, she walked around the bed and waved her wand, placing a charm to set the bed. James scrutinized the bed make itself magically as Natalia walked up to him and placed a soft kiss on his scruffy cheek. Looking down at her, he frowned as she smiled.

"I'll come find you later, okay?"

Having the final word, Natalia left the room, leaving her older soulmate behind as he tried to collect his thoughts. _What did I miss while I was gone_, he wondered, trying to come up with different possibilities on what happened during his month in cryo freeze. He turned back and shut the bathroom door, allowing his clothes to fall to the floor.

The guards knew better than to touch Natalia, much less engage with her, but every once in a while there was a newbie who hadn't caught the memo. Really, they ought to warn the rookies when they're hired, but Natasha didn't mind. It was a good way to practice her magic without getting into trouble for it, and an even better way to let off some steam. She was always agitated by the time James came out of cryo, the bond growing past tense and creeping towards about-to-lose-her-mind. It was at these times her handlers let her do whatever she wanted with the low leveled guards, permitting they actually acted first. _This way,_ Sebastian told her, _you can claim self defense, and they can claim deniability when they need more. _Natalia liked that thought. She liked beating the agitators even more. Unfortunately, the guards that were scheduled with her today were exceptionally careful not to do anything other than escorting her to Madame. A quick legilimancy scan in their minds gave Natalia no information, and she furrowed her eyebrows as she quickly wondered what she was called for.

Couldn't be time for her graduation yet, and Jamie was safe in their little apartment. She wasn't permitted to go on missions for now, and she doubted that they wanted her for any extra training right this second. She had no family she knew of, so she shouldn't be getting any honorary medals in the event of a death. So, she had essentially no clue what was going on.

Not that these knuckleheads walking with her knew either.

She quickly relaxed her face into a practiced neutral face as they approached the doors to Madame's office. The first rule of the Red Room was to never allow anyone to know what you are thinking of, even if they can't read your mind.

The guards knocked on the door, and opened them when they heard the Madame's brisk "Come in."

Natalia walked into the office and was greeted with a quick "You're late." from the Madame. Natalia continued walking up to the front of the desk and stopped just before the Head of the Black Widow Program. She bowed her head and began to apologize only to be cut off with the rise of a hand. The Madames signature red nails gleamed under the lamp on her desk, and quickly flashed a slight shimmer in the light, showing Natalia what was in her polish. Poison, a delicate formula that needed to be reapplied every three days on average.

The Madame gestured for Natalia to sit and crossed her arms. Impeccable as always, she managed to look strict and superior even while slouching over her crossed arms on her desk, dark and tired gaze focussed solely on Natalia.

"I didn't expect this to happen so soon, but I have no choice."

Immediately she pulled out the folder that rested under her forearms and held it out patiently for the young girl to take it. Not even hesitating, she grabbed it and opened it, flicking through the first couple pages of the summary before settling on the person of interest page. It was a young boy, with messy and uncontrollable hair taken at a fair distance. The picture held no colour, but even in the monotonous pallet, she could tell the child had striking eyes, perhaps blue or green. Pale skin, short, skinny like a street rat, and an irritated scar on his forehead, shaped like a lightning bolt. It stretched from the middle of his hairline and tapered down towards his right eyebrow, missing it by barely a centimetre or two. It looked garish, and with a sinking feeling in her stomach Natalia flicked the page to his profile.

NAME: HARRY POTTER

DOB: 6/31/1980 DOD: N/A

REASON OF INTEREST: DEFEATER OF DARK LORD V (SEE FOLDER #R1D01E), WIZARD, SURVIVED KILLING CURSE, BROTHER TO NATALIA ROMANOV (SEE FOLDER #4272018)

FAMILIAL RELATIONS: JAMES POTTER (FATHER- DECEASED), LILY POTTER (MOTHER- DECEASED), NATALIA ROMANOV (SISTER- LIVING), SIRIUS BLACK (GODFATHER- IMPRISONED), ALICE LONGBOTTOM (GODMOTHER- INCAPACITATED), PETUNIA AND VERNON DURSLEY (AUNT/UNCLE - LIVING), DUDLEY DURSLEY (COUSIN - LIVING)

PLACE OF RESIDENCE: #4 PRIVET DRIVE, SURREY, UNITED KINGDOM

SOULMATE: UNKNOWN

PROTECTION: BLOOD WARDS (FAILED)

Natalia read it once more before turning back the page. Focussed on the photo, she traced his scar with the tip of her finger before abruptly snapping the folder shut.

"So what's the mission here."

For a second, the Madame looked concerned before relaxing once more.

"To be honest," she began while bending down behind her desk, pulling open a drawer. She heaved a decanter on expensive vodka onto the desk and followed it with two glasses. They clinked quietly as she set them down. "There is no mission." She poured out the first glass before quickly knocking it back, slamming the cup down on the desk before properly filling both glasses. She handed one to Natalia, and picked up her own. Natalia watched as she leaned back into her chair and suddenly looked as though she fit her age, even though she had no idea what it was. Cautiously taking a sip of her drink, Natalia slunk down in her own chair, examining her instructor through weary eyes. This could be a test, for all she knew. For the hope of family, would she betray the Red Room?

Absolutely not.

"He is truly my brother?" Natalia nodded towards the folder on her lap. The Madame gave a slow nod, before finishing off her barely full glass once more. She filled it again and rested the cool cup against her cheek, eyelashes fluttering and covering the calculating brown of her eyes.

"Why tell me?" Natalia asked in a flat tone. She couldn't show any hope. If she showed any inclination for betrayal…. she had to think about Jamie.

"I promised you after you came in, I'd watch out for you. Even at such a little age, I could tell you'd be great one day. There's hope for the boy too." The clink of a glass meeting wood echoed in the silent room.

"Are you saying that I can see him?"

"Yes."

"Do I have to kill him afterward?"

"No."

"At all?"

"No."

Natalia lifted her cup in thanks and knocked the vodka back. It didn't burn her throat as much as the sudden hope in her belly did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Natalia raised an eyebrow at the boy who opened the door. She had heard the Dursley men were on the bigger side of things, but this was slightly ridiculous. Slightly. Feeling the bond between herself and James tighten, she reminded herself to relax - Anything she felt, he did too; both a blessing and a curse.

The boy who answered the door was an overweight lad with a nasty sneer on his face. Greasy brown hair swept across his face, and he was still chewing his food when he burped. Small particles of pancake flew from his mouth, aimed at the stranger in front of him, and Natalia quickly vanished the soggy bits before they could land on her clothes. Her new cotton green shirt was very comfortable, and it'd be a shame if it were ruined due to the whale in front of her.

"Yes? What do you-" Dudley began before belching again. "What do you want?"

Natalia gave a fake smile before answering. "I'm assuming you are not Harry Potter?"

Dudley's beady eyes widened, and he hollered into the house.

"Da-a-ad! Someone's here to see the freak!"

Natalia pushed him into the home before quickly following, shutting and locking the door behind her. Dudley gave a quiet "eep" before lumbering into the kitchen. Quietly examining the home, Natalia activated the wards she placed around the home before even walking up the pathway. Number Four Privet Drive was normal and clean; too clean. A home with two boys should almost never look this pristine. Twirling her ring around her finger twice, Natalia began casting a series of observation charms, ones for recording conversations, activities in the home, and tracking the occupants of the home. Wandering down the hallway, she tuned into the shouts of the Dursleys from the kitchen, pleased to hear them panic at the lack of working phones or exits. Of course, they wouldn't work. She was a freak, after all.

The charm she used to track the family showed something weird; three members were huddled in the kitchen, and one was in the cupboard directly next to her. The spell was a Russian variation, fine-tuned by the magical portion of the KGB, meaning it couldn't be incorrect. And somehow, she doubted that it would be her ever so lovely Aunt in the cupboard. Natalia pursed her lips, and walked past it, knowing she needed to scare the Dursleys before she could make contact with her brother.

Her boots clicked softly on the laminated kitchen floor as she walked in, soft red hair bouncing softly on her shoulders. Her hands were empty, barring her magical ring, and she gave a soft look of youthful innocence, despite her age of 15. Turning the corner, she finally saw her estranged family for the first time in over a decade and thanked whatever deity was listening she didn't grow up with the Dursleys.

Harry, was not as lucky as Natalia. He had no chance to be spared of their neglectfulness or abuse. The damage the Dursley's had done to her brother was irreparable, and once Natalia found out, she would make them pay for every second of pain they caused her beloved brother. (Despite only knowing of him through a file, Natalia knew she could not think of Harry any other way.)

Petunia was the first to screech at the girl, high pitched words that meant nothing to her. Promises that they wouldn't call for help once she was gone, or that she should take her freakishness and leave - oh yes, she would leave. She just had a very important task to do first.

"This won't take long, Mrs. Dursley," Natalia smiled softly and flicked her middle finger against her thumb ring. What looked like wandless magic caused all four chairs from the dining room table to be pulled back, and another flick of her finger caused the family to sit down collectively against their will. Vernon Dursley's face began to turn into an awful shade of puce, and the syrup on Dudley's stood out against his pale fear-stricken cheeks. She stared at them for a moment before gracefully gliding forward and joining them at the table.

Vernon blubbered for a minute before his words formed any clarity. "- now you listen hear you no good freak! If you don't get your freakishness out of my home, I will-!"

A quick turn of the finger caused a silencing spell to be put on Vernon's mouth, and as an afterthought, Petunias and Dudleys too. If given the chance, the woman would shriek like bloody hell.

"Now that I have your attention, I would like to talk to all three of you without any interruptions. I have decided this was the burst course of action instead of, let's say, dose you with potions into making you docile, wouldn't you agree?"

Vernon alarmingly turned starch white, his eyebrows high in fear. Natalia smiled a little too primly to be friendly.

"Now, let's begin. First, I have to thank you, Mrs. Dursley. The Red Room is the best thing that could have ever happened to me." She tilted her head at her aunt, cackling internally when Petunia finally made the connection to the redhead.

"You knew me as Natasha at one point in time, but I now go as Natalia. You may call me Miss Romanov if needed. If you need to say something helpful, or genuinely contributing, raise your index finger and I'll let you talk. Abuse this privilege, and I'll just start giving you my….. favourite potions. Deal?"

All three Dursley's enthusiastically nodded out of fear. Natalia smoothed her face into a mask before continuing.

"Excellent. On to why I'm here then. I'm here to take my brother back into the wizarding world - our world. He starts Hogwarts in a few months or so, and needs to get ready. Eleven is a very important age in our world, and he needs to be able to flourish. I know he won't here." Natalia tapped against the table slowly, causing the cupboard door under the stairs to open while she was talking.

Harry had watched as the strange woman walked into the home, and could hear faint yells, but couldn't make out why the door to his bedroom swung open with no one on the other side. He felt compelled to walk out into the dining room and crept around the corner. Red hair was the only thing he could see again of the strange woman, and he knew that she was speaking from the lack of mouth movements on the other three. He was focussing too hard on the strange woman to not notice when he had moved, and quickly enough he was right next to her. Something inside him made him believe that he felt safe next to this stranger.

Suddenly, the girl turned around and smiled blindingly, speaking to him.

"Harry, I'm your sister. Would you like to come with me?"

Having been unprepared, Harry couldn't read her lips, and dumbly asked "What?" To her.

She brushed it off as just being taken off guard, but repeated her words. His eyes traced her mouth as she spoke each word, and she brushed against his mind as she realized why he spoke so brutish just now. He couldn't hear her.

_Harry, brother, take a seat and listen,_ Natalia planted in his mind, standing up and ushering him into her seat. _Do you know how to read?_

He scowled at her. "Of course I know how to read, I'm not stupid."

Suddenly, a piece of paper appeared in front of him, words appearing as she talks.

"Does this work for you then?" _Does this work for you then? _echoed in red loopy handwriting across the top of the page. Grinning, Harry nodded furiously as he grabbed it and watched the charmed paper work. Speaking a few random words, they played with the paper, and quickly Natalia came to rest her hand on his bony shoulder.

"How does this work?" He asked questioningly. Natalia copied his grin, and breathed out her favourite word.

"Magic."

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and Natalia scowled as Vernon interrupted them with his repeated finger tapping. Sighing, she canceled the silencing spell on him, and stared him down as he exploded.

"We swore when we took him in that we'd stamp that- that freakishness out of him!" He bellowed, the shade of puce across his face highlighting the vein on the top of his forehead. "We put up with that boy at the request of the headmaster, but he never said how we could deal with him!"

Natalia slapped the spell back onto Vernon and tossed her hair back, well aware Harry was watching her.

"Well now you don't have to, quote, deal with him. He is my brother, and as such is my very wanted responsibility. If you happen to see him after this day, you will treat him with respect, or face me and my decisions. If you could be so kind, Mrs. Dursley, as to collect anything belonging to Harry. We'll be getting out of your hair soon." She cast a Russian spell similar to the unforgivable Imperius curse. The Russian variant would ensure that she couldn't be traced back to the scene of the crime, but even if she were caught, she doubted she would be penalized for it considering it was only done on muggles. Magical Britain is not known for its equality or attempts at it.

Petunia's face smoothed out into a relaxed smile, and she gracefully stood up from her seat and left the room silently. The trace Natalia put on her showed which rooms she visited quickly - bedroom, attic, cupboard. Everything Harry owned was quickly placed onto the table in less than two minutes, and the meager stash was almost worth the pain of paperwork if she were to torture the muggles. But, family comes first, and Natalia knew she needed to get Harry out of here. With the snap of her fingers, Natalia did a spell on his belongings, banishing them to the Red Room almost immediately. Harry's face dropped, jaw wide open as he became gobsmacked at the blatant use of actual obvious magic. Turning to her, he stared. He was fascinated by his sister, and eager to learn how she did magic, hoping that maybe he could do it too.

"Careful Harry," she ruffled his hair. "You'll break the paper."

Harry turned beet red and lowered his gaze to the paper, tired of reading lips. Maybe there was a magical solution to his hearing loss?

"Now that we have that sorted out, we should go. Harry, I'll meet you by the front door, understood?"

He nodded and scrambled off the chair, taking the paper with him.

"Perfect. Now listen here, you filthy muggles," Natalia snarled at them, her pleasant facade dropping once Harry left the room. She flicked her fingers at them again, multiple spells enchanting the small family. "This spell is a curse designed to slowly ruin your reputation. This one encourages hair loss, and this one is joint pain. This spell is a memory reducing charm, meaning the older you get, the worse your memory is. Good luck remembering Dudley here in twenty years. And this one is a memory extraction charm, where when I say the special word, you will forget all about Harry, and so will everyone that has met him in the last three years. You'll never get him back, no matter what. This next one is the one I already cast on loving Mrs. Dursley here, a bit of a mind control one. Whenever you hear our names, you will feel fear and dread, and will quickly excuse yourself from the conversation that brought us up. And finally, this is a cancelling charm that can only be done by me, and a tracking charm as well. Be glad these are the only ones you will be gifted with today." Natalia casted a tempus, and swore in Russian at the time.

"If I find out from Harry about anything I didn't already know, I promise, that I will hunt you down." Natalia excused herself from the head of the table and canceled the sticking and silencing charms she placed on them. Even the arrogant toe-rag Vernon kept his mouth shut as they all sat in fear. She turned to leave the dining room, and walked out, pausing before she went down the hall.

"Bloody, beautiful magic," she called out the secret code and left to join Harry. Ushering him on the porch, she closed and locked the door behind them, smiling at her younger brother as he watched on curiously. Completing the task at hand, she felt the magic in the home swell as the spells engaged with the home and its occupants. She disabled the wards from the porch of the house and grabbed Harry's hand as they both felt the broken magic fall around them. She looked down at him and squeezed his bony fingers, happiness bubbling in her chest as their matching eyes connected. Harry's tired, excited eyes were hidden behind a pair of awful glasses, dirty and broken, and she knew what to do next.

"You ready to go shopping?"

* * *

Together, Natalia and Harry spent the afternoon together in different magical neighbourhoods. They quickly popped into Diagon Alley to visit Gringotts where they both discovered their trust vaults and familial vaults. Natalia was quickly given an heiress ring for the house of Potter and scowled as she skimmed through the papers she was given on their estates. She swore to come back at a different time, as for today Harry was her top priority. After Gringotts, the two siblings quickly spun around the magical alley's and gathered new things for Harry - things like robes, clothes, boots, books, and as a present, an owl. While Harry was being measured for his robes, Natalia snuck off to the Magical Menagerie and bought a beautiful snowy white owl for him. The storekeeper practically threw her out of the store with the owl once the transaction was complete, ecstatic that he had finally sold that beast of an owl.

"No returns or exchanges!" He had cried as he ushered them out. "Final sale on all owls!"

Harry had been ecstatic and knew the perfect name for her once he saw her. He promptly named her Hedwig, the patron saint of orphans, and Natalia tried to get him to change his mind before giving up. No matter how cheesy or meaningful the name was to him, she just didn't like it and gave up to appease her brother. She didn't want their first fight to be so soon.

Natalia apparated them to St. Mungos, where Harry's hearing issue was temporarily fixed for a day or two before they got to Russia.

Following that, they quickly portkeyed to Poland, where they continued their shopping. More robes, books, and interesting supplies were bought. Harry got an earring that would directly give translations of whatever language was being spoken into his ear, and bought a tongue ring for the future. Natalia said it would be better to buy it now and do it in two years then to look in two years and not find it. With the earring, he also got an extendable satchel with a matching extendable coin purse, which Natalia promised she'd make undetectable in the next week or so, a perch for Hedwig as a well as some treats, a cool book about Parseltongue they found in a thrift shop, and a hand knitted jumper Harry wanted to match with Natalia. In the end, they both had dark oceanic blue cable knit sweaters, which Harry promptly declared he loved them. Natalia rolled her eyes at this, but smiled nonetheless. The only thing they had left to buy was his wand, but that wouldn't be bought for another month or two. Being muggle raised meant he was at a serious disadvantage against those who were magically raised, and he needed to be taught basics and then some to make sure he could handle the responsibility well enough.

Natalia knew exactly who would be the best one to teach her brother magic.

With everything shrunken down and placed in her jacket, Natalia and Harry embraced each other in a twisting hug and disappeared from Europe. Together, they landed in the better home of the siblings. Snow was everywhere, frozen together in a solid block of statuesque slosh. Natalia immediately placed a warming charm on Harry, who was nowhere near prepared enough for March in Northern Russia. Harry didn't even notice the temperature go sporadic for a minute as he looked around in wonder.

Frozen icicles hanging off coniferous trees, a small trail teasing them into the snowy woods, an aweing building directly off to the right of where they stood. Harry bent down and pushed his fingers through the deep and fresh snow, fingers growing red the longer he stuck them down deep in the ground. He pulled them out and stared in wonderment as his hands tingled with warmth, barely bothered at all to the just below freezing weather. Cool sleet blew around them, causing a bit of static in Harry's vision, but he paid no attention to anything around him as the gravity of his day finally hit him. He was free. Finally free. He felt like he could cry.

Natalia watched her brother silently, reading his mind to understand his thought process. She felt Jamie walk up behind them to escort them inside, and immediately reached behind her with her left hand to grab his human hand. Flesh met flesh as she pulled him in, and they leaned on each other while watching Harry bow down to the forest in thanks to his freedom. The intimidating soldier almost asked Natalia a question out loud but quickly stopped once she began her own mind meld to her soulmate. Staring through each other's eyes, they missed the moment Harry turned around and dropped his jaw at the newcomer.

"Hey, I know you!" Broke through their silent reunion, instantly jarring the world of the two assassins.


	4. Chapter 4

James Romanov fit the role of the Winter Soldier quite well. Broad shoulders across his body made the man bigger than most, and between the scowling jawline and built muscles, the brainwashed soulmate was downright intimidating. He knew he had memories of a whole different life taken from him, but if that was the cost to stay with Natalia, then he would pay it over and over without hesitation. Her safety came above everything else in his mind; it wasn't just the soul bond speaking though. The girl had saved his life, and he felt he owed everything to her. Together, thanks to Hydra, they were unstoppable. Being master assassins wasn't a choice given to them, but they served their duties when needed, and did it perfectly. There were never any witnesses to any of their heinous crimes.

Until now.

The soldier immediately took quick and threatening steps towards the boy, the preprogrammed actions taking over. _No witnesses. _He could hear his girl shouting at him, and watched as the boy's eyes widened in fear at the incoming man. James' arm began whirring and the metal plates flexed, the fingers stretched and throbbing as though strangling the air. Within seconds, James was before the child and reached out to eliminate the threat, when the boy just disappeared. He made a similar noise Natalia did when she disapparated, but she had been taught how to do it much more quietly.

Spinning around, the soldier watched as the child landed next to his soulmate, and his preprogrammed thoughts began screaming at him to get her _away from the danger!_ He tried to take a step forward and ended up walking straight into one of Natalia's spells, one that made his legs collapse. Grinding his teeth, he desperately crawled forwards and continued his task, ignoring the rain of pebbles that his soulmate sent at him. Finally, she froze him to his spot in the snow and huffed at her soulmate. Nothing more than kisses had ever passed between them, and yet he acted as though they had been consummated for years.

Natalia spun around to her brother and began speaking Russian to the guards walking up behind him.

"_We're fine, just get him to medical_." Harry heard through his bespelled earring and concentrated as he heard multiple voices talking over each other, giving him a headache with the concentration it took to hear them all.

"_Come, Harry. I need to introduce you to someone._" Natalia offered a hand up to her shaken brother, and he carefully placed a shaking hand into hers. She provided a steady relief to him, consciously holding herself with a bit more grace than usual. Swearing to always protect him, even from those important to her, Natalia took him into his new home in the KGB.

"_Welcome home, brother."_ Whispered through his earpiece.

* * *

It turns out the vodka Madame Viknei had given her the last time they talked wasn't the one she was hiding out on, Natalia discovered. Having introduced Harry to her caused the leader to reach behind a portrait and pull out a full bottle of strong alcohol. Personally, the thirteen-year-old believed it was odd to have flavoured vodka in the heart of Mother Russia, but she kept her thoughts to herself when she was offered a glass. She transfigured Harry's cup into something on the weak side, and by weak, she meant flavoured water. He wouldn't visibly notice the difference.

Natalia explained quickly Harry's hearing issue as well as his earpiece, prompting Madame Viknei to summon a private Healer and mediwitch, who both declared that Harry's hearing was heavily damaged and would take years to properly heal even with magic. Upon hearing that, Natalia downed her cup of vodka and refilled it again, going past the publicly acceptable amount, and slouched in a seat next to the fireplace in the office.

Madame Viknei barked at her to sit up properly while company was in, and immediately Natalia did so. One does not argue against their superiors, especially in a workplace such as this.

"Agent Romanov, _I see you reached your goal." _

Natalia took another sip before answering, swallowing the bitter drink down her tight throat. She felt like crying. "_One of them, yes."_

From behind her chair, the Madame watched as the healer and mediwitch uselessly flittered about to take diagnostic spells, and grew bored with their hushed whispers.

"Healer, give me the papers. You're both free to go."

Instantly, both of them disappeared, leaving their papers floating softly onto her desk.

"Harry Potter," the Madame began. "You are the sibling of our top asset, and have been tasked with a horrible burden according to these papers." She handed the papers with his total diagnostic over to his sister, who grabbed them with unwavering hands.

"The abuse you faced under those people will not be left unpunished," The woman continued. "We simply won't allow it."

Beckoning Harry towards her desk, Madame Viknei waited until he stood in front of it before offering her hands. He hesitated, and shot Natalia a look, questioning silently if it was safe to do so. He received a small nod from the redhead and cautiously watched as his hands placed themselves in the woman's. He slowly looked up, and when Harry's eyes connected with hers, Madame Viknei tightened her hands over his. She was careful with her hands and words as she spoke.

"You will be trained under us, and will learn as much as possible before your time to go to school. For now, Harry, you may call me Maman instead, if that's okay."

Harry had no idea what it meant, Maman, and agreed to it without a second thought. And just like that, Harry had unintentionally garnered the support of the entire KGB.

"Okay….. Maman."

For the first time Natalia could remember, she watched a smile cross the stern face of Madame Viknei.

* * *

Natalia insisted that Harry be taken to the medical wing to begin his healing, both magical and mundane, before he be taken to their rooms. With the new title for Madame Viknei that would be used only by Harry, Natalia was able to negotiate a new apartment for herself and her soulmate, connected to the one her brother would be staying in, which was also connected to the one Madame Viknei inhabited. All in all, it was a serious upgrade she was thankful for from every cell in her body. She remembered the uncomfortable beds she started in at the start of her Black Widow training and wanted to cackle in the faces of the girls that rose up against her.

Natalia was pulled from her thoughts when Madame Viknei asked her a series of questions about the objects she had banished from the Dursleys home.

"Yes, I recognized there was a trace of compulsion spells on the letter, but I couldn't recognize who it was."

The woman in front of her snorted.

"You wouldn't be able to unless you know what you were looking for. It's Albus Dumbledore's magical signature on this thing. He's the one that compelled your aunt to get rid of you and abuse Harry. Probably set it up in those disgusting blood wards too."

The blood wards she mentioned had failed, for reasons beyond Dumbledore.

Natalia wanted to curse the bastard into the afterlife, but held onto her anger as she continued to listen to her leader.

"The official story is that Harry recognized the Soldier from a security tape someone recovered, the one that was on the news. He isn't going to be able to do any work for a bit until the news dies down on its own, but….. there's not much we can do about that right now," Madame Viknei spoke in a hushed voice, even though they were both in her locked, private office. Natalia watched as she hesitated a moment or two.

"_What I am going to tell you is top secret, clearance level Dahlia, is that understood?_" The sudden Russian threw her off, and Natalia nodded mutely as she watched. Madame Viknei pulled on a double finger ring, and drew her hand in a circle. The sorcery tore apart the air and created a portal to somewhere Natalia couldn't recognize. She stood up immediately however as she realized what exactly must be happening, and waited for the cue to enter the circle. With a nod, Madame Viknei walked through it, and Natalia followed half a second later. Sealing it behind them, they walked through the darkness together, random objects underfoot. Natalia sensed rocks and dirt, but that was the most she could tell.

In a pitch black cave on a completely different dimension, Madame Viknei confided in Natalia about things that would change the course of Hydra's future forever, immediately starting with how Harry knew the Soldier. The truth was that one year he was sent out to check on the boy, make sure he was well enough, and immediately wiped again once he was returned to base. During the mission, James had been at the school playground, and caught Harry accidentally apparating onto the school roof while he was running from his cousin. The soldier talked to him and explained that he had to keep magic a secret, and to wait for a letter in a few years time. She told the young girl about how Petunia knew the Red Room through Lily, who originated from Russia and was put through training. She was let go from a discontinued program to go to Hogwarts, and during the summers stayed undercover in the Evans home, which is why the blood wards never worked. She told Natalia how she cried when she found out Lily had used the obscure and dark oriented Russian protection charm, which she showed her the properties for with the promise that Lily would only use it in life or death situations. Madame Viknei knew that Lily could have fought her way out of the room and kept herself and the two children alive, but chose not to do so in order to guarantee their safety. She revealed that Lily was one of her favourites, and that she couldn't stand not having a soft spot for the daughter of one of her best and brightest. Warning her, Natalia was informed about the prophecy, and everything her subordinates discovered — the horrors of the horcruxes, how they worked, and worst of all, Harry's role in defeating the evil man. Natalia wanted to vomit by the end of it, and when she was given details about the theory of Harry's scar, she threw up stomach acid and vodka. When they were done talking, they sat in silence for ten minutes or so before Natalia began to put on a light show with her magic. Summoning her patroni, she conjured up a mimic of the Northern Lights, and they watched as her magic weaved itself through the darkness. She watched her mentor through the blue and green lights, and confided in her. Natalia told her how tired she was of the mundanes in her class, tired of not being around those similar to her. Words tumbled out of her loosened tongue, alcohol clouding her poise, and she admitted to things she normally wouldn't dare think of. By the end of the night, right when Natalia's magic gave out from exhaustion, the two women grew close together and knew they'd do whatever it took to keep the world from burning. Especially when their whole world focussed on Harry Potter.


	5. Chapter 5

James groaned when Harry managed to trick his trainer and force the poor man onto his feet, and when Natalia nudged him he turned to look at her. The two soulmates were watching Harry and had made a bet. He had been absolutely sure that the ten-year-old wizard wouldn't be able to last longer than eight minutes, even with his magic.

A sly grin grew across Natalia's face, and she nudged James again to remind him of his debt.

Sighing, he muttered the cursed words. "I owe you one, kiska."

The fifteen-year-old witch laughed at this and was tempted to drag it out. Unfortunately, she couldn't manipulate James any further because Harry came bouncing over to give her a hug. Even sweaty, bruised, and exhausted, he gave her the biggest grin he could muster.

It had been just three months since Harry arrived, but with the aid of temporal wards, he had been training for nearly two years instead. The KGB couldn't fully stop the world to train their operatives, but with the aid of the goblins, they could sure as hell bend the laws of time as they see fit. One month equaled one year within the wards, and as an extra bonus, nobody aged a day. The extra time did wonders for Harry, having given him the chance to grow into the body of someone his age and to grow into his magic. Sebastian gave no mercy on the young boy, and pushed him through the same circuits he once gave Natalia. The two wizards focussed predominantly on the dark arts, battle magic, the mind arts, a bit of the mystic arts, and the basics needed for Hogwarts. Madame Viknei (Maman to Harry) insisted that he not be taught everything so that he wouldn't be bored at Hogwarts. Natalia could understand where she was coming from as she had taken over a maternal role for the boy, but Natalia has heavily against allowing her to change Harry's name. The two women were at a stalemate and had plans to finish off the conversation before Harry was due to depart at Hogwarts.

Hogwarts was too far away for Natalia's comfort, and everyone knew it. It seemed to be equally uncomfortable for Harry though. Neither sibling wanted to be away from each other for long. The temporal wards had been hell enough for both of them, and both had been kept extremely busy with important tasks in order to distract them.

Natalia hated training the next generation of assassins. Especially since they all found out she wiped out her entire class just by snapping her fingers twice. (She would never admit to it, though. They just, ceased to exist, in the middle of the night. The only trace left behind was the ashes of their bodies.) (Natalia still felt giddy whenever she thought of it.) The children she was forced to train barely knew how to wipe their tears and hide their sniffles, and yet Madame Viknei wanted her to teach them to stay on pointe for several hours at a time? To Natalia, it seemed like it was punishment for disagreeing about Harry's name.

Both women wanted to change his last name, as Harry Potter was too famous for the neglected boy to be able to handle, but that was as far as their agreement went. Natalia wanted Harry to be known as Hadrian Romanov, and Madame Viknei wanted her pseudo son to be known as Ilya Viknei.

Ilya Viknei was too short a name to command fear as Natalia wanted.

Natalia was still hugging the lad a few minutes later, and she brushed his curly, damp hair back to lay a kiss right along his hairline. The poor boy was still touch starved, and Natalia sensed a great opportunity coming up for the favour James owed her. Harry needed to be as comfortable with males as with females, seeing as he would be heading to a coed boarding school soon. James interrupted her thoughts of a cuddle party as he cleared his throat, hoping to gain the attention of his soulmate back. He was unused to competing with another person for her affections and he didn't like it, brother or not.

"Kiska, we have appointments to keep."

With a sigh, she pulled back from Harry's hug and wiped away a bead of sweat that was weighing down his brow. His beautiful green eyes shone happily back at her, and she watched as he noticed what she was wearing. (Natalia would never admit how much she loved the blue sweater Harry picked for her.)

"Do you have your hearing back, brother?"

He scowled and turned up his nose. "Only thanks to Sebastian and his friend."

Harry had quickly learned the ways of the KGB during his time training, and recognizing the abuse he faced under the Dursleys as horrifying had led him to look down on the family. Natalia was glad.

"Good," she flicked his nose. "Now come, we must head out."

The three most valuable assets walked down the corridors together, moving further into the catacombs of the agency. With Natalia having graduated from training, and James needing to lay low, the soulmates were finally together in their everyday life, instead of fleeting moments in their bedroom and when they passed each other in the halls. Their newfound freedom was liberating, and they thanked Madame Viknei every chance they could. This freedom led them to become the guards of Harry, but neither complained. The boy was amazing, and Natalia was so grateful to get him away from the Dursley's every time she saw him smile.

Soon, they arrived at the office of the KGB director. Natalia was about to knock when Harry just went and strolled right on in. Both shocked, James and Natalia exchanged a wide-eyed look and carefully peered into the room.

Harry was hugging Madame Viknei as tight as she was hugging him. The two were practically enveloped in each other, and the woman whispered something in his ear that caused him to give a boyish giggle. She finally noticed them and beckoned them to come in, her face turning into a stony mask over Harry's shoulder. Something in her eyes caused the two soulmates to grab the hands of each other.

Whatever was about to happen, it was going to be a long meeting.

* * *

The good news was that not only was Natalia allowed to stop training the young girls, but Harry also made a new friend.

The bad news is that his new friend was also his soulmate.

The peculiar girl in front of them was talking vividly with Harry, chatting about magical creatures that Natalia wasn't even sure existed. She was left to watch over the two children on the floor by the fireplace while James and Madame Viknei talked quietly at her desk. The soulbond allowed Natalia to receive the information James learned about the young girl while she distracted both of them. With only a month and a half until Hogwarts, they needed to come up with a plan and fast about how to deal with this new bond.

They had to deal with the girl first.

According to Madame Viknei, the girl's mother was an advisor originating from France but had moved to Britain to live with her husband. The woman's name was Pandora Aglery, and she raised the strange child alone as her father died from dragons pox years ago. Apparently, the emergency portkey Pandora forced her daughter to wear at all times was triggered when their house had exploded in the middle of the night, barely getting the child out in one piece. Her death had been covered as a potions mishap, but the KGB knew better. This was the work of SHIELD, undeniably.

The girl herself seemed to be in perfect health, but with her nattering about nargles creeping through the dull fireplace roar, Natalia wasn't too sure. She watched the two new soulmates bond a little more, and zoned out of the conversation behind them, only perking up when her name was brought up. _Luna. Luna Lovegood. _Natalia dropped her head into her hands when she heard the girls name, recognizing it immediately. _Not only do I worry about my brother, now I worry about his soulmate that happens to be a predestined seer too. _

Natalia stood up, not even distracting the kids, and walked to James. She stole the drink from his hands and slammed it back, giving him the empty glass before sitting on his lap.

"What the hell are we supposed to do with her?"

Nearly an hour later the three agents came to a shaky agreement. Harry would be known as Hadrian Viknei, adopted by the Director herself but living with Natalia, and Luna would be adopted by the world's deadliest assassins, renamed Elena Romanov. This proved to be an issue between the couple, as Natalia was still fifteen, and James was older by over a decade, so they were ordered to take an aging and de-aging potion respectively until they were both twenty years of age. And once they were appropriately aged, they would have to be married in order to magically adopt Elena. James would take Natalia's last name, as he had none, and the three would merge into one beautiful family. Hadrian would be disowned from the family and would no longer be biologically Natalia's brother, which sent her into a rage. She only calmed down when it was mentioned that it would be the best form of protection for Hadrian, as the Wizarding World was like a horde of sharks waiting for the Boy And Girl Who Lived.

Hadrian was the one to convince her to let him go, and said they would always be siblings. Natalia nearly burst into tears. Patting his cheek, she looked him up and down one more time before mentally taking a picture of her beloved brother. They may have only had two months together (chronologically, of course. Time is iffy when intermixed with magic), but she loved him fiercely, and swore on their parents' graves that she would never let anything bad happen to him. The same vow now extended to Elena now.

On top of all this, James and Natalia would be required to take the two into Magical Britain in less than a week, and would both apply to positions at Hogwarts. James was technically a muggle, but he would be petitioning to start a Health and Healing class within the castle. Sending a wave of laughter at Natalia through the bond, James maintained his stoic face at the news. Natalia would be taking over either the Defense position or the Potions. Apparently, there was a curse on the DADA position, but that was hardly a problem. With her magical ring being enchanted to nullify any curses within two feet of her, she knew she would be fine. She didn't have to like walking into a curse anyway.

And finally, after their marriage was confirmed, they would have to travel to Britain Gringotts and take ownership of all their properties and Natalia's Ladyships. There was a high chance she would be able to rule over Magical Britain one day, and Madame Viknei was ecstatic.

So ecstatic, she dismissed the two assassins from the KGB for the foreseeable future.

"If there are any extremely important cases, of course, I'll summon one of you, but right now, you need to start taking over that Ministry. I have no doubt about your abilities, and I know you'll do great things, but only if you start your plans right now."

Natalia grew up listening to the horror stories of how people could leave the KGB, and the only common denominator was in a body bag. This was too good to be true. And yet, she held onto the sliver of a chance that they could leave this place.

(If Yelena were still alive, she might have smiled at the thought of the Black Widow position being hers.)


	6. Chapter 6

Despite her oddities, Natalia found the newly christened Elena quite charming. The beautiful blonde convinced Natalia in a surprisingly short conversation to be the one to change her hair to match, leaving the spy to charm her hair a matching icy colour. Hadrian was more upset by this turn of events than James was, and was quite vocal about it in front of anyone who would listen before Madam Viknei threatened him with a bad time in training until they left for Hogwarts. With the two girls a matching blonde, and the two boys matching bedheads, it was easy for them to pass as a typical slow aging magical family. No matter the public roles, the four members of the Romanov clan knew exactly how their family lay and knew no judgment would be found in their bonds.

As the senior most magic user in the family, Natalia became the Head of the House of Potter. A quick trip to Gringotts confirmed that the name of her Ladyship could not be changed, so a dilemma was quickly formed - do they give up their identities so quickly for the power that came with it, or do they choose to stay in hiding a touch longer? Further conversation with Madam Viknei left the Romanov clan with too many options.

The first option would be to pretend as though none of them were Potter's and to keep the Romanov name in the center of their political persona. Not many magical families did this, preferring to gain their power by riding the coattails of their ancestors, and Natalia knew this would be near impossible with too many years of difficulties ahead to be worth it.

Option two was for all of them to go public, James known as the sweet muggle soulmate of the forcibly aged Lady Natasha Potter, Elena the quirky and quiet soulmate to the Boy Who Lived himself, Harry Potter.

Another choice would be to claim to be a reclusive cousin out to set her family name straight, even if it meant dragging her Russian family into the heart of Britain to do so.

The least popular choice was for them to pretend to meet Hadrian in Diagon Alley, and act as though it was the first time any of them met, leaving the Boy Who Lived on his own to face the sharks.

(Elena pushed for all of them to run off and live in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Hydra and Magical Britain be damned, when it was just her and Natalia, and as much as the idea appealed to Natalia she knew too much was at risk to try such a thing.)

Natalia also knew the choice was hers as the family Head, but she hated having to be so public with so many secrets haunting the family. James preferred the third choice but agreed with Elena when he heard her idea through his soulbond with Nat. The only thing Hadrian had to say about the Ladyship was that Natalia should do her best to kick Dumbledore out of Britain and seal the gates behind him.

With everyone at ends about the future of the family, Natalia knew it was a good time to distract them all. By dinnertime, one of West Russia's greatest hair salon had the next day booked for the entire morning, as a young family was eager to sort themselves out before family portraits next week. After desserts were doled out, the kids and Natalia took hair growth potions and watched each other's hair lengthen at a fascinating speed. The Lady of the House needed only her bangs grown out, but as the potion had no specific parts for hair growth on the head, she watched as all her hair grew down past her knees. James was all too happy to play with it before shearing it at the waist for her, braiding it once done. (Personally, he believed her cheekbones were heavenly and popped out beautifully without the bangs to weigh them down.) (Privately, Natalia heard everything he thought to himself as he forgot to keep their mind bond separate while he was staring at her.) Elena's hair received similar treatment, as healthier hair grew from her roots and turned into a healthy glossy curtain above her ribcage. Gently, James showed Hadrian how to shear the hair into an acceptable length, half a foot below his soulmates shoulder blades, before turning the kids around and showing Elena how to cut Hadrian's. The lad only needed it the same length as James' grungy nest, and the two looked eerily like carbon copies of each other.

Going to the salon was amusing, as James and Elena had never gone to a muggle hair salon before. Between magic and minions, neither of them had a reason to. Mild potions helped the two calm down enough for the stylists to work. James' hair swooped beautifully in a short side shave with length on top, leaving enough for a braid as per Elena's request. The young witch herself kept as much hair as she could, permitting only framing pieces reaching her chin at best with the remainder pouring over her shoulders. Hadrian opted for something similar to James, with slightly more length and curl mixed in, pulled back into a masculine bun and exposing his piercing eyes and irritated scar. As attractive and captivating as the three of them looked with their new hairstyles, none of them were as compelling as Natalia. The Lady looked like a force to be reckoned with, with thick straight pale hair barely grazing the tops of her shoulders, parted dead center where her bangs used to lie, resulting in the telltale scar being covered. Despite the drastic change in colour, she looked like she was born a natural blonde, and her creamy skin agreed with it. Gleaming green eyes announced the heritage in her blood, yes, but they looked vindictive and pulsing with barely restrained power. The raw energy surrounding the family raised a couple of questions, and after they paid for their trip Natalia wiped their minds of the odd group.

A quick family discussion led to a decision on wardrobe materials. As efficient as it would be to just wear indistinctive muggle clothing, they needed to stand out and make the right impression for their introduction into the magical world. It was agreed that the senior two would wear dark toned, high-end clothing expressing their position in society, both magical and muggle. Hadrian would wear blacks slacks and whatever coloured sweater he preferred, so long that they were not wrinkled. Elena could frankly wear whatever she wanted so long as it wasn't revealing in any way, something all of them unanimously agreed on.

The decision Natalia chose wasn't quite unanimous (Little Elena still wished to cross continents and travel towards the North American Rocky Mountains), but in the end, Natalia chose the distant family route, sending a message that the supposed Potter orphans were dead at the same time. This was just fine by her. Less drama and trouble for the kids. (She tried to ignore the fact that technically, she was a kid as well.)

This route was for the best of the kids, even if it meant being careful with their words around their peers. Elena was ecstatic to be able to rejoin the wizarding world, even though she knew that logically she wouldn't be able to sleep in the same room as her soulmate (some nights they slept together holding hands, but whenever she slipped into Hadrian's bed she always woke up to find him lying on the ground next to the bed, still holding her hand). Hadrian, despite spending two years in a time pocket, was still nervous to be around so much magic and believed that he would be kicked out for not knowing enough. It was only when Natalia forcibly made him sit a series of tests in the subjects he knew such as occlumency, dark arts, and combat magic did he realize how much he was overreacting. Still, an uneasy weight seemed to settle in his bones, and he couldn't help but worry about what their future would bring. James felt the same way, but he pushed it aside as he watched Natalia prepare and make plans, cross her T's and dot her I's over and over again. Unless they missed something, which seemed highly unlikely, the family would be just fine.


	7. Chapter 7

They missed something _very_ obvious. So obvious that Natalia wanted to throttle the next person who pointed it out. The Romanov clan walked onto platform 9 ¾ and within minutes were swarmed by witches and wizards alike eager to meet the Boy Who Lived. It took all of four seconds for the group to face each other and immediately turn back, heading towards the gateway. Her face was aristocratic and masked, beautiful and shocking, but inside Natalia was fuming. James could hear every word she was screaming mentally, and left through the barrier with a smirk on his face. When the other three made it as well, he grinned widely at his soulmate. She sent him a deadly glare. Hadrian inhaled slowly, tugging at Elena's hand, before quietly speaking up.

"Well that didn't last long."

James couldn't stop laughing even when Natalia cuffed him over the head.

* * *

Despite all her planning, they hadn't accounted for any images of Hadrian that may have been taken over the years. Despite the lack of permission, violation of privacy, and having no magical interaction, the Daily Prophet still managed to get their hands on photos of the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, complete with the horrific scar. Honestly, Hadrian didn't care for the Potter name. He just wanted to make friends with Elena, learn lots of magic, and race brooms with classmates. As far as he was concerned, the Potter name was wholly Natalia's, and he certainly wasn't going to take it if she offered. He only wanted to learn, no matter where they were.

James was the one that came up with this specific back up plan. If they couldn't make it to the train, they'd simply portkey to Hogsmeade and walk up to the castle earlier than everyone else; more than likely, they'd have to talk with the staff at the same time, but all that meant was that they'd be confronting Dumbledore a little earlier than planned. Natalia wasn't eager to go toe to toe with the man, but as the Head of the family, she was required to be the face of the disputes.

"James?" Elena grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket, the side hiding his metal arm, as she tried to gain his attention. He gave a half hearted grunt.

"They're gonna duel before we get dinner. Just so you know."

Oddly enough, she could feel his metal arm tighten, as though the muscles were squeezing themselves together. _That's silly_, she thought to herself. _Vibranium doesn't have any muscles!_

She gave herself a small smile, and leaned back into Hadrian, both watching curiously as the adults of the group greeted the Deputy HeadMistress at the gate.

Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall cut an imposing figure. She was tall, with a pointed yet cool face, a severe bun tightly controlled at the nape of her neck, and eyes cut from steel. Dark red robes draped themselves cleanly off the shoulders of the older woman, and remained closed from the bottom of her neck down to her boots. Despite all this, and her thick Scottish brogue, Elena and Hadrian thought the woman wasn't nearly as scary as she was attempting to be. Scary was Natalia when the two kids goofed off - scary was Maman when they weren't paying proper attention to their lessons. This woman was a kitten compared to what they were used to.

Still, they silently agreed they weren't going to cross this woman.

"Typically, the students take the Express to arrive." Minerva McGonagall quickly glanced at the children before focussing her tight stare back on the two adults. The woman was clearly the leader of their little group, manners similar to many of the noble families that studied in the halls of Hogwarts. Her blonde hair had not a single strand out of place, and her posture demanded respect as she stood half a foot in front of the others. Minerva had seen those eyes for over eight years, a carbon copy of Lily Potter nee Evans' own, and staring into them made her nauseous. Looking back over at the children confirmed what she was thinking.

_Harry Potter has arrived at Hogwarts._ But if that was little Harry, how did this woman have the exact same eyes? There was no possible way for her to be the Girl Who Lived, she would have been only 13.

The woman lifted her chin ever so slightly before she spoke, mirroring Lily Potter's mannerisms very eerily.

"Typically, the students have no issues boarding the train either. I suppose Hadrian's fame was too much for the crowd to keep their composure." _A small lie, _Natalia thought, _but built on truth so it counts. _

The Scottish woman narrowed her eyes slightly. "We don't have any incoming students by the name of Hadrian." _The closest was Harry Potter, he HAD to be Harry Potter….._

"I did send owls regarding the name change, yet never received a response."

The blonde woman left the words open to suggestion by the professor. If there was never a response, they could claim they simply never received the letter asking for the name change, forcing the boy to remain as Harry Potter during the seven years of schooling.

"Well. I'll personally handle the change myself to make sure it happens. I'm Minerva McGonagall, transfiguration professor and deputy headmistress here at Hogwarts." She offered to the group.

The blonde woman confirmed herself as the leader. "Natalia Romanov, Lady of the House of Potter. This is James, my husband," The dark haired man nodded respectfully, quickly showing the neatly braided top of his head. "And these are your students, Elena and Hadrian Romanov." The petite blonde smiled widely at the professor, and the boy tightened his hand on the girl before nodding respectfully, hair shifting further into his face.

"I recognize Elena's name, so fortunately there was no issue with her registration, however it is Hadrian's I am unfamiliar with."

Natalia's cheeks flinched into almost a small smile, relieved at least one of the two was spared from inquiry during their education, before gesturing towards the young boy.

"Perhaps you are more familiar with his past name then," Hadrian's pale hand swept his hair back onto his crown, revealing a jarring scar splitting his forehead in half. "Harry Potter."

Realization was easily read across the professors face before she composed herself. "Yes," she murmured. "I can see why you would want to change your name."

Stepping towards the family, Minerva noticed that despite the power radiating from them, there was an empty space where James stood. No magic housed itself in the man, and nodding once more mostly to herself, she invited them up to the castle.

"How about we have an early lunch, and sort out Hadrian's file after then, hmm?"

Natalia took the first step forward. "Yes, I believe that would be best for us all."

The other three walked in sync towards Natalia, and once in line with their Head, continued to walk through the wards of Hogwarts and the beginning of their headaches.

* * *

Natalia wasn't terribly surprised to confirm that it was Albus Dumbledore who chose to disregard her letters. He claimed it was due to the validity being in question and had no reason to trust the stamp, or the blood quill, or the Potter owl sending it…. Really, he had no good reason to go against the wishes of the House when it was a House matter to begin with. With all his titles (Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Grand Sorcerer, and Order of Merlin First Class recipient, thank you _very much_), Albus Dumbledore knew specifically what an official letter looked like. The opportunity for Natalia to sue the man was sitting in her lap, and as much as she wished to ruin his reputation, she had had to try to get along with the warlock.

Albus Dumbledore was a walking contradiction to his Deputy - where her eyes stared deeply into others, demanding their best without a word, his eyes twinkled merrily behind half-moon glasses reminiscent of the ones he wore when he dropped the little Potter children off at Privet Drive. His beard was tied neatly above his outrageous robes (dark blue with twinkling silver stars), and his aged face sat wrinkled below a simple matching wizards cap. Gnarled fingers were adorned with rings signifying his many positions, further proving he was no idiot and did not make a mistake when it came to her letters.

Minerva introduced Natalia to Albus as Lady Potter, and Albus to Natalia as Headmaster Dumbledore. Both of them threw propriety out the window when he first regarded the woman as "My girl! So wonderful to meet you."

And to think Natalia held hopes for their meeting at all.

No longer was the grand and great legend of a wizard a possible ally. Instead, the man became an irritant in the Romanov family's plans. There was not a chance in hell that Natalia would agree to work with him, despite the plan James, Natalia, and Madame Viknei spent weeks going over.

The thing about plans, especially ones as long term as this one, was that right after you start, everything becomes unpredictable. Despite their plan for Hadrian to lay low, despite their plan to use the Headmaster to ascertain more information about the horcruxes, despite their plan to send Albus Dumbledore to his death (that one still held merit), everything had gone tits up since they first approached Platform 9 ¾ .

James held Natalia's hands as she flexed her fingers in silent warning, itching to throw something sharp through the Headmaster's damned eyes. Faintly, James remembered what Elena had said earlier, and had to flex his own hands once he realized how much of a tool the wizard was.

The lunch went by quickly, and soon enough the six of them were in the Headmaster's office.

"Your father would be proud of you," mused Minerva. "Being in the headmaster's office before even the start of term." She stood unwavering next to Albus, who was sat behind his disastrously messy desk.

Hadrian tightened his lips thinly and replied, "I don't know the man, I have no need for his opinion."

The two teachers looked mildly shocked at his declaration, causing Natalia to smirk silently before picking up the conversation.

"That would be another issue for us to discuss in a moment. For now, let's get started with why my letters were disregarded."

Albus drew in a small breath before beginning. "My girl-"

"That would be Lady Potter to you, Dumbledore."

The twinkle in his eyes faltered for a moment before he began again. "Miss Potte-"

"Lady Potter, Dumbledore. I won't allow you of all people to treat this family with total callousness like in the past."

"Lady Potter, I'm sure there was a misunderstanding in -"

"In how you purposely ignored formal letters from the House of Potter, who you were once allied with in the past? Or was the misunderstanding about the standing of my family, which is a matter that does not concern you. I am sure that whichever it is held no solid reasoning within your decision."

Natalia leaned back into her chair, one personally conjured so as to avoid the uncomfortable chairs meant to pressure students (she was well aware of his tricks thanks to the intensive file Madame Viknei had on him). James placed a hand on her shoulder to show support, and she unconsciously relaxed under his touch. Harry sat on the other side of Natalia, in a chair of her creation as well, allowing Elena the cushioned part of the seat having opted to sit on the far armrest instead. The family of four cut an imposing image, each member carefully positioned to best protect their group.

Minerva stared at Albus with scrutiny in her eyes, clearly disgusted with how casually he addressed the family Head. _For being such a dignified man, he sure has screwed up_, she thought to herself.

The wizard leaned forward on his desk, delicately crinkling parchments before he began speaking again with more carefully chosen words.

"My apologies, Lady Potter, I promise not to disrespect you in such a manner again. As for the letters, like I mentioned during lunch, I had no reason to believe the letters were sent from the House of Potter," Hadrian snorted at this, leading to James sharply shaking his head at the boy and Elena smacking his arm for good measure. "- and I promise, I did not intend to bring into question the integrity of your standing. I merely wondered if your Headship of the family is rather a position of stewardship, seeing as the direct heir sits in front of us both."

Despite the disgusting and quite frankly rather rude implication, Natalia merely flashed the ring signifying the Headship of the House of Potter to shut him up.

"Believe me, I am no steward."

Minerva and Albus both opened their mouths to start talking, and she held her hand up again to quickly stop them, temper flaring.

"Here is how this is going to work. The Boy-Who-Lived is not within this school walls. You are going to make a statement supporting my announcement in this evenings edition of the Prophet, and you are going to fix Hadrian's names in all of the formal documentation. If Hadrian or Elena hear anyone referring to him as 'Harry Potter' or the 'Chosen One' or any ridiculous title, it will be you I drag into the Wizengamot with charges." Albus was too shocked to realize his own carefully made plans were being destroyed, and let his occlumency slide in place of new found disappointment. A quick mental nudge to James let him know to take control of the conversation briefly while she performed legilimency on Albus.

James spoke in a mildly threatening tone. "Despite what preconceived notions you have of the House Potter, we are not a House to be trifled with. You may have known the former Head, and they may have allowed you to have certain items or regard the family in a casual manner, but that was not us. We ask for respect and distance between ourselves and your Houses, and we ask for our familial items back."

After having flicked through Albus's mind, Natalia knew that unless they provided a full list of what was rightfully theirs, they would not receive it. She left her soulbond to James open so he could quickly go over what she just discovered as well.

Both assassins were deeply angered by what Albus Dumbledore had planned for Harry Potter.

Sitting primly with barely restrained power left Natalia looking every inch the Lady Potter Albus denied her being, and with a disturbing stare into his eyes, she spoke quietly.

"Really, we are willing to play nice as long as you are too." She tilted her head slightly towards the children. "Are you?"

When the four Romanovs and Minerva stood to leave the office an hour later, they did so still missing familial items that had been mere feet away from them. Despite the tomes and invisibility cloak that were given back, they still were silently denied the unmentioned Potter grimoire and pensieve.

(Albus recognized the threat and still kept items to himself. A quick thought with James left Natalia confident in their decision on where they will next see Albus.)

The wizard bade them farewell in an attempt to have the last word. Natalia, being herself, gleefully denied him that and dangerously smiled at him.

"We'll see you in court, Albus. Ta."


End file.
